In this day and age, we all know the importance of reviews. Having good reviews will make your business the bee’s knees – you can do no wrong. But all it takes are a few negative reviews, on Google, for the view of your business to be clouded. Although we live in an age of online reviews – Google and TripAdvisor for example – the old fashioned word of mouth review still reigns supreme. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.
What’s better than a review? A referral – someone who believes in your business so much that they will recommend you to their friends, family, co-workers or even a stranger walking down the street. If someone wants to scream and shout about how good your business is, you’re not going to stop them – are you? It’s a great form of marketing and, while you may have a dedicated sales and marketing team to get your clients in, referrals are usually a free or low-cost way to get a few more.
How to Get Referrals
So, how do you get referrals? It’s easier than you think. All you need to do is WOW your clients – go above and beyond what they expect and give them something to talk about! Having great customer service will help you do that.
Investing in your staff to ensure your levels of service are sky-high will keep your clients happy and happy clients are more likely to spread the word of the great experience they had with your business. If you want to give your clients a gentle nudge in the right direction, you can use referral campaigns. These are campaigns that politely ask your clients to recommend your business to their friends and, in return, you can offer them money off or some freebies.
Or, you can simply ask your clients to refer you on social media – a quick Facebook status or tweet can work wonders and spread the good word of you and your business. The Nielsen’s Harris Poll Online (2016) showed that 67% of people were more likely to purchase a product after a friend or family member had shared it via social media or email. We’ve recently read a great article about how to get referrals and we thought you might want to check it out – it’s 6 proven ways to get referrals without asking for them.
Why are Referrals so Important?
Referrals are important because they are proof of your good work. You can tell potential clients that you provide a great service all day long but proving that you provide great service is what they will really respond to. It also helps to speed the sales process up – someone who has been referred will be in the market to make a purchase and they will have already established a level of trust in your business. Meaning some of the hard work has already been done for you – all you have to do is seal the deal.
This article has been short and sweet but I hope it’s given you an insight into how referrals can be a valuable tool for your business. They can provide an extra source of clients which means an extra source of revenue.
